Arsenal FC: Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain claims current squad is the strongest since his arrival

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Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain believes that the current Arsenal squad is the strongest since he moved to the club.

The Ox, as he’s nicknamed by the fans, said that the team was never stronger than it is now.

“Last year we won the FA Cup, and that’s a step forward,” Chamberlain told Sport Magazine.

“We’d like to be higher up the league, but that’s something we will get better at – and the rest of the season is a good place to start.

“It’s going to be a tough uphill climb – there’s no hiding from the fact that Chelsea have a good lead on us and a few others. But I think we have the best squad of players since I’ve been at the club.”

Oxlade-Chamberlain also talked about how he has improved over the 4 years that he has been at Arsenal.

“I’ve moved forward, there’s no doubt about that,” he continued.

“I’ve learned a lot and I’ve grown physically. I think I’m a different athlete. Obviously I was only 17 years old when I first joined, and I’m 21 now. So, in that sense, I’ve matured.

“I think I still am [fearless on the ball],” he added. “But it does depend on the situation of the game. As you get older, you do learn more about the right times to run with the ball and show your fearlessness. It’s about picking the right moments.”

Oxlade-Chamberlain was also full of praise for Alexis Sanchez’s work rate and the influence he has had on the team and on Arsenal since his arrival.

“Obviously Sanchez’s goals speak for themselves. But his work rate on and off the pitch – we’ve learned a lot from that as a group. It has a knock-on effect, and it brings the best out of you.

“He’s a really good guy. If he could speak fluent English or if I could speak fluent Spanish, I’m sure we’d get on like an absolute house on fire. But we do alright as it is. There is a language barrier. But he’s such a good guy and so expressive, and he doesn’t mind giving it a go, so you almost get his character.

“He’s similar to Santi Cazorla in that way. When Santi first came he was really happy, smiley. He wanted to get involved and he wasn’t shy to try and speak English, and you really do appreciate that.”

Arsenal fans would be hoping Oxlade-Chamberlain takes inspirations from them and performs at the same level, if not higher.